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Luke 5:1–10a
“When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.’ For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken” (vv. 8–9).
Not long after Jesus officially began His public teaching ministry in the synagogue in Nazareth (Luke 4:16–30), large crowds began to seek Him out in order to hear Him and to receive healing (Luke 4:31–44). Luke begins today’s passage by telling us that on one occasion while Jesus was standing by “the lake of Gennesaret” (i.e., the Sea of Galilee), the number of people seeking to meet Him was so great that they were pressing in on Him (Luke 5:1). In other words, things were getting crowded, and Jesus would have to move away from the crowd to be able to teach them.
Our Lord’s solution was to get into one of two boats on the shore and to put out into the water a little bit from the land. Then He sat down and began teaching the people (Luke 5:2–3). In those days, Jewish teachers customarily taught from a sitting position, and the geography of the area created natural acoustics that would have made Jesus’ voice audible to the people on shore. The boat in which Jesus sat, Luke 5:3 tells us, belonged to Simon—that is, Simon Peter—whose mother-in-law Jesus had healed while ministering in the town of Capernaum (Luke 4:31–39). Given the existing relationship of Peter with Jesus, we are not surprised that he was happy to assist Jesus in moving away from the crowd.
Yet Peter found himself taken a bit off guard after Jesus finished teaching, for our Lord told him to cast his nets into the water to catch fish. Peter’s first response was to tell Jesus that they had been fishing all night unsuccessfully. Nevertheless, Peter’s implied protest gave way to trust in Jesus’ words, for Peter said that he would put down his nets into the water at the word of Jesus. Peter believed Christ, for that is what true disciples of Christ do, and as Jesus promised, Peter caught fish. In fact, he caught so many fish that the nets could barely hold them, and Peter had to signal others to help him bring in the large haul (Luke 5:5–7).
Whether Jesus anticipated the successful catch because He knew that fish were already there or because He somehow called fish to the net, our Lord performed a miracle that day. Peter responded by recognizing his own unholiness (Luke 5:8–9). Indeed, this is what happens whenever sinful creatures come into the presence of the Holy One (see also Isa. 6:1–5). On that day, Peter began to realize that Jesus is more than a mere man, and in light of the full biblical witness, we know that Jesus is God incarnate (John 1:1–18).
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
The miracles that Jesus performed point us to His deity, and they demonstrate that He is not someone whose words can be considered lightly. The teaching of Christ is not something we can take or leave, but our response to it will reveal whether we will enjoy eternal life or eternal destruction.
for further study
- Psalm 119:115
- Matthew 13:47–50
- Mark 1:16–20
- John 21:1–8
the bible in a year
- Numbers 26–27
- Mark 8:22–9:1